Other Times

Times Square, in the heart of Manhattan, was thus named in reference to the former head-office of the New York Times which established itself there in 1904. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, a huge advertising board was installed on the façade of one of the buildings. Since then, Times Square, in succession a cultural centre with the Broadway theatres, a very dangerous zone after the Great Depression and lastly renovated in the ?90s, has remained a symbol of urbanism. Today, the countless neon billboards, whose space can be hired for 2 million dollars per year, make Times Square an icon of New York. Laurent Dequick continues with his work of the representation of urban space by photographing Times Square. The photographer chooses an unusual angle by exclusively supplying shots of ascending buildings. Faithful to his style, the photographer superimposes to give multiple images. He plays on the reflection of the glass surfaces on the façades to combine and infinitely repeat the advertising signs present on Times Square. Following the example of the champions of Pop Art, Dequick uses the codes of the city and advertising to invent a new image of this mythical area of New York.

This 40 year old photographer is an architect by profession. There are signs of this in his work as it is first of all a reflection on contemporary cities and more specifically aboutthe proliferation of modern urban space. Laurent Dequickâ€™s purpose is to accurately convey an impression of frenzy which results from a density of population and activity in urban areas: Â« Along the streets, the lights, the noise, the traffic, the swarms of pedestrians, the blend of smells, are so fascinating that no single shot can entirely capture it. Do choices have to be made? I donâ€™t think so: I donâ€™t want toâ€¦ Â»To translate this urban life congestion into an image, the photographer does not shy away from the juxtaposition, superposition or inlaying of shots. With the same intensity he overlaps photographs representing architectural complexes, main traffic routes and people. He condenses the images like the city condenses the sum of its inhabitantsâ€™ lives. Dequickâ€™s style is reminiscent of cubism in its execution close to abstraction andin his representation of permanent movement.